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Passenger rail infrastructure noise policy

The noise policy provides a process that balances the benefits of new passenger rail infrastructure projects with the possible impacts on those living nearby.

The policy recognises the importance of addressing noise very early on in the planning stage, and that managing noise impacts from rail requires a joint approach – involving both transport planners and land use planners.

It will be applied by transport bodies and planning authorities and will guide them in determining when rail noise is a problem and what should be done about it.

Under the new policy, if noise is expected to exceed investigation thresholds, transport and planning authorities are required to apply the set of principles to determine the appropriate mix of actions to manage noise.

The community living in and around proposed new rail infrastructure will be consulted when determining how the noise policy should apply.

When does the policy apply?

The policy is triggered when there is a statutory approval required for:

construction of new passenger rail infrastructure

redevelopment of existing passenger rail infrastructure

a change in land use adjacent to the rail corridor.

The policy applies in both metropolitan and regional Victoria.

Consultation

The government has established the policy following consultation during 2012 with key stakeholders and the community. A draft version of the policy was released for discussion and was opened for submissions until 31 August 2012. The feedback received was considered in determining the final policy, which has been modified based on the comments received.